We’re hoping that the amazing warm weather in mid April was just a glimpse of the weather we have in store for us for Summer 2018. Indeed, the shops are already full of toys and games for outdoor play. One that really caught our eye is the Sandy Lagoon Water Park from Little Tikes (RRP £49.99). Our family made the most of a weekend in the garden to play for as long as possible with one of these…

The concept is straightforward – one half is sand pit and the other half is for water play. The sand can be covered over and the water played with on its own. There is a tower structure in the middle which contains slides and a flipper mechanism to enable your characters to jump off the top and whizz down the slides, even racing them if you want a competitive element! There are two colourful characters all decked out in their diving/ beachwear and a few other additional pouring mechanisms/ features, such as a dump bucket for pouring water on a character unexpectedly and a double ended spade/rake for playing in the sand. All in all, a good number of features which enables more than one child to play with it at a time. The sand and water trays are at perfect toddler height – both my 9 year old and my nearly 3 year old were able to comfortably play with it. Even cruisers would be able to have fun with it.

You know you’re going to get a good robust outdoor toy when you see the Little Tikes brand and that is really appealing when you know a heavy-handed toddler is going to be let loose with it! I’m not known in the family for my flatpack assembly skills, but I managed to assemble it single-handed and it took me roughly 30 minutes (with MANY interruptions!!)

In summary, it is a very valuable addition to the outdoor toys (indoor play would be possible too) and I know it would keep my children entertained all summer long… and beyond.